Warren Mayor Jim Fouts cannot run for 5th term after Michigan high court decision

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts loses bid for 5th term after court ruling

Mayor Jim Fouts will be done at the end of the year following a decision from the Michigan Supreme Court, denying his appeal of a lower court ruling in a legal battle over term limits.

(FOX 2) - Warren Mayor Jim Fouts will not be allowed to run for a fifth term in office after a decision from the Michigan high court denying his appeal of a lower court's ruling.

In an order published Wednesday, the Michigan Supreme Court said a decision to consider a ruling from the Court of Appeals would not be heard.

"The application for leave to appeal the April 21, 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered, and it is DENIED, because we are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this Court," read the filing.

Fouts has been a longtime figure in the Macomb County city's politics, serving as its mayor since 2007. His term will end following the November election this year. So far, six candidates are running in the city's primary in August.

The decision came following a protracted legal disagreement between the mayor and the city council over whether Fouts was eligible to run for re-election. He scored a legal victory earlier this year when a circuit court judge upheld a decision from the election commission that he could run again.

A Macomb County Circuit Court Judge validated that decision before a Court of Appeals reversed it.

Fouts responded that he was "cautiously confident" that the state Supreme Court would reverse the decision again, in a statement last April.

The lawsuits stem from an amendment to the city charter that was approved by voters in 2020 that limited elected officials to three terms.